SOFIA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has signed a decree, setting the date of the new parliamentary election on Oct. 2, his press office said on Monday.
Radev dissolved, through the same decree, the current National Assembly with effect from Tuesday, the press office said.
It said the president also appointed Galab Donev as caretaker prime minister. The tasks and priorities of the caretaker government will be announced when it takes office on Tuesday.
Donev, 55, is the demography and social policies secretary of the president. He has served as caretaker minister of labor and social policy in three caretaker governments appointed by Radev so far: in January-May 2017, May-September 2021, and September-December 2021.
From May to December last year, Donev also served as caretaker deputy prime minister for economic and social policies.
Radev made the move after the coalition government led by Kiril Petkov was ousted by a no-confidence vote on June 22, and parliamentary parties failed to form a new cabinet.
Petkov's government was elected last December after three parliamentary elections within eight months -- regular elections on April 4, 2021, and early elections on July 11 and Nov. 14, respectively.
The National Assembly is Bulgaria's legislative body. It also elects the government by a simple majority, and has a four-year term -- except in certain circumstances such as when it is unable to elect a government.
